10 facts on ageing and the life course

Healthy ageing starts with healthy behaviours in earlier stages of life

These include what we eat, how physically active we are and our levels of exposure to health risks such as those caused by smoking, harmful consumption of alcohol, or exposure to toxic substances. But it is never too late to start: for example, the risk of premature death decreases by 50% if someone gives up smoking between 60 and 75 years of age.